Integration of the ATLAS Inner Tracker (ITk) Strips Endcap is gathering momentum at Nikhef in the Netherlands. On 14 October, colleagues from Nikhef, DESY (Germany) and IFIC (Spain) came together to install the first service module in the endcap, bringing the detector one step closer to completion.

The ITk is a next-generation tracking detector for the ATLAS experiment, designed to map the trajectories of charged particles with micrometre precision during HiLumi LHC operation. Its Strips subsystem comprises two endcaps, each holding 192 wedge-shaped “petals” of silicon detectors. Just as flowers rely on stems, these ITk petals depend on specially designed service modules running alongside the endcap to supply power, control signals and cooling.

On the same day, the first petal destined for the Nikhef endcap also arrived in the cleanroom. Inspection and testing are now underway ahead of its insertion into the endcap.

Learn more

• About High-Luminosity ATLAS
• ATLAS enters the high-luminosity era, ATLAS Press Statement, June 2026
• Read more HiLumi ATLAS upgrade stories